Abstract
Crystalline Si wires, grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process, have emerged as promising candidate materials for low-cost, thin-film photovoltaics. Here, we demonstrate VLS-grown Si microwires that have suitable electrical properties for high-performance photovoltaic applications, including long minority-carrier diffusion lengths (Ln ≫ 30 m) and low surface recombination velocities (S ≪ 70 cm·s-1). Single-wire radial p-n junction solar cells were fabricated with amorphous silicon and silicon nitride surface coatings, achieving up to 9.0% apparent photovoltaic efficiency, and exhibiting up to ∼600 mV open-circuit voltage with over 80% fill factor. Projective single-wire measurements and optoelectronic simulations suggest that large-area Si wire-array solar cells have the potential to exceed 17% energy-conversion efficiency, offering a promising route toward cost-effective crystalline Si photovoltaics.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 866-871 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Energy and Environmental Science |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2011 |
Fingerprint
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Environmental Chemistry
- Pollution
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Cite this
High-performance Si microwire photovoltaics. / Kelzenberg, Michael D.; Turner-Evans, Daniel B.; Putnam, Morgan C.; Boettcher, Shannon W.; Briggs, Ryan M.; Baek, Jae Yeon; Lewis, Nathan S; Atwater, Harry A.
In: Energy and Environmental Science, Vol. 4, No. 3, 03.2011, p. 866-871.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - High-performance Si microwire photovoltaics
AU - Kelzenberg, Michael D.
AU - Turner-Evans, Daniel B.
AU - Putnam, Morgan C.
AU - Boettcher, Shannon W.
AU - Briggs, Ryan M.
AU - Baek, Jae Yeon
AU - Lewis, Nathan S
AU - Atwater, Harry A.
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Crystalline Si wires, grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process, have emerged as promising candidate materials for low-cost, thin-film photovoltaics. Here, we demonstrate VLS-grown Si microwires that have suitable electrical properties for high-performance photovoltaic applications, including long minority-carrier diffusion lengths (Ln ≫ 30 m) and low surface recombination velocities (S ≪ 70 cm·s-1). Single-wire radial p-n junction solar cells were fabricated with amorphous silicon and silicon nitride surface coatings, achieving up to 9.0% apparent photovoltaic efficiency, and exhibiting up to ∼600 mV open-circuit voltage with over 80% fill factor. Projective single-wire measurements and optoelectronic simulations suggest that large-area Si wire-array solar cells have the potential to exceed 17% energy-conversion efficiency, offering a promising route toward cost-effective crystalline Si photovoltaics.
AB - Crystalline Si wires, grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process, have emerged as promising candidate materials for low-cost, thin-film photovoltaics. Here, we demonstrate VLS-grown Si microwires that have suitable electrical properties for high-performance photovoltaic applications, including long minority-carrier diffusion lengths (Ln ≫ 30 m) and low surface recombination velocities (S ≪ 70 cm·s-1). Single-wire radial p-n junction solar cells were fabricated with amorphous silicon and silicon nitride surface coatings, achieving up to 9.0% apparent photovoltaic efficiency, and exhibiting up to ∼600 mV open-circuit voltage with over 80% fill factor. Projective single-wire measurements and optoelectronic simulations suggest that large-area Si wire-array solar cells have the potential to exceed 17% energy-conversion efficiency, offering a promising route toward cost-effective crystalline Si photovoltaics.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952434044&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79952434044&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1039/c0ee00549e
DO - 10.1039/c0ee00549e
M3 - Article
VL - 4
SP - 866
EP - 871
JO - Energy and Environmental Science
JF - Energy and Environmental Science
SN - 1754-5692
IS - 3
ER -